I found this to be a great mystery. It reminded me of Sherlock Holmes stories which I like. I enjoy a good British mystery. It also had characters with quirky little names like in the game clue. I thought that this was well written and it kept my interest. I thought that this was a good who done it story. It has many twists and turns and it is not predictable and I liked that. Some readers gave this low reviews. I was disappointed to see this. I liked the book. It maybe a little bit “cookie cutter” or standard patterned mystery, but I liked it. I give this one a 5 out of 5 stars. ( )

What a melodrama! The American anatomist Silkstone has been hired to investigate Lord Crick's untimely death - although some might wonder why he wasn't bumped off sooner. The story started with some promise but quickly went downhill as it filled with eye-rolling errors of both the factual and literary type. 18th century post mortem and forensic methods are gruesome, but if the reader is willing to put up with a few richly noisome descriptions, there is the reward of a mystery, leaning heavily toward the romantic as all melodramas should.

If I'd been reading the print version this would have been abandoned in pretty short order but Simon Vance's perfect narration of the audiobook kept me with it to the end. ( )

The story set in the early days of forensic medicine. Dr Silkstone is called to investigate the murder of an Earl, who died in mysterious circumstances. The sister of the murdered man appeals to Silkstone for another opinion, and despite her being married to a Captain, they become enamored of each other. Early days of medicine, with many misleading verdicts and a continuing investigation into the Earl's death. Starts out quite gory, but develops into a good tale. ( )

The title is confusing. Thomas is the main character and he does have a former mentor. He meets another anatomist later, but both of these old men are just there for the sake of the story. Thomas is nobody's apprentice in this book. As I said, confusing title.

The death of Lady Lydia's brother, Sir Edward Crick, was the cause of a lot of gossip in Oxfordshire. The only person who loved him was his sister. She asks Dr.Thomas Silkstone to find the real cause of her brother's death.

I don't mind broken or not-so-tough female characters, but for almost the third of the book Lady Lydia tested my nerves to no end. I wanted to strangle her. Screaming, clutching her hands to her breasts, widening her eyes, being scared, constantly looking vulnerable (we are not allowed to forget the vulnerable part), and I still couldn't feel anything. Most of Lady Lydia's servants, especially her maid Hannah, are annoying. She spills anything she brings and her testimony during the inquest was really not what you would expect from a faithful servant. I don't mind her telling the truth, but telling it with so much disrespect is what bothers me - young lord was panting like a dog, Lady Lydia's mother is not right in the head, etc. As soon as she saw she has her audience she was all over it. The thing is I can't see a 1700s servant doing something like that. Thomas's housekeeper is a laudanum addict. He has to bribe her to heat water for him to take a bath. Poor man ends up in his laboratory, not in his room. It's eighteenth century. I doubt the servants and housekeepers had that much freedom. These are not really important things which make this story a good one, just something which annoyed me.

So, the characters are really annoying (Lydia leads), but the story is pretty good. ( )

...the author seems not to know when she’s onto a good thing, and proceeds to gum up the fascinating details of early forensics with a sticky romance and Grand ­Guignol contrivances. Nonetheless, we await — indeed, demand — the sequel.

Wikipedia in English

The death of Sir Edward Crick has unleashed a torrent of gossip through the seedy taverns and elegant ballrooms of Oxfordshire. No one mourns the dissolute young man - except his sister, the beautiful Lady Lydia Farrell. When her husband comes under suspicion of murder, she seeks expert help from Dr. Thomas Silkstone, a young anatomist from Philadelphia. Thomas arrived in England to study under its foremost surgeon, where his unconventional methods only add to his outsider status. Against his better judgment he agrees to examine Sir Edward's body. But the deeper the doctor's investigations go, the greater the risk that he will be consigned to the ranks of the corpses he studies -

(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 12 Mar 2015 18:07:29 -0400)

▾Library descriptions

The death of Sir Edward Crick has unleashed a torrent of gossip through the seedy taverns and elegant ballrooms of Oxfordshire. Few mourn the dissolute young man- except his sister, the beautiful Lady Lydia Farrell. When her husband comes under suspicion of murder, she seeks expert help from Dr. Thomas Silkstone, a young anatomist from Philadelphia. Thomas arrived in England to study under its foremost surgeon, where his unconventional methods only add to his outsider status. Against his better judgment he agrees to examine Sir Edward's corpse. But it is not only the dead, but also the living, to whom he must apply the keen blade of his intellect. And the deeper the doctor's investigations go, the greater the risk that he will be consigned to the ranks of the corpses he studies.… (more)